Essay 4: Learning through People

ESSAY 4--CIRCUIT

HOW TO SURVIVE THE SOCIAL CIRCUIT PART I : PERSONAL

Learning is a process which goes beyond text books. Participation and experience in an activity are other means by which a person can enrich ones life. In this context, the cultural activity revolving around an institution or a city, offers several avenues for widening ones horizon. The performing and visual arts, seminars and lectures, fairs and exhibitions, sports and festivals are events which are mutually beneficial to both the audience and spectators on the one hand and the participants and performers on the other hand. It is not merely a case of giving joy and pleasure to those who are observing and listening but it also involves receiving appreciation and applause for a good performance. This mutual exchange and give and take of goodwill benefit both the sides.

An artist or painter is one who captures the images and pictures in his mind on a canvas. Through deft strokes of his brush, the combination and choice of colours and the myriad shapes and forms of his subject, he is able to bring out different moods and expressions. Going to an art gallery is a personally exhilarating experience with the artists interpretation of the world through his own eyes. Cartoons and caricatures bring out the unusual in an unusually humorous manner and helps a person look at the lighter side of a situation. To be able to laugh at youself and see the bizarre in yourself from a distance is a great lesson in self discovery.

Sculptors, potters and porcelain artists experiment with matter and mould and give shape to a variety of expressions. Apart from stone and metal which are the traditional materials used, I have also seen some fascinating sculptures in glass, wood, and plastic. A sculptor is able to freeze an action or form permanently. Very often a sculpture involves intricate work and attention to minute details but the end result captures the essence of a personality or an activity. Exquisitely crafted pottery ware and porcelain with bright and attractive colours are a visual treat and helps one to appreciate the dexterity with which nimble fingers worked laboriously over hours of painstaking effort. Sculpture is three dimensional, gives a sense of space and time and the form helps create a appreciation of aesthetics in the eyes of the beholder.

To experience the rhythmic and coordinated movements, perfect coordination of body and limbs, statuesque poses, expressive eyes and faces is the essence of dance. This is truly a great

manifestation of balance and control brought about by exemplary artistic finesse on the part of the dancers. A truly great performance can have the audiences attention transfixed on the dancers. In the Indian dance forms like bharatnatyam, odissi, kuchipudi, manipuri, kathak there is more emphasis on the movement of the upper torso, arms and facial expressions. In contrast, western dance has more to do with co-ordinated movements of the legs. Dance is a true coordination of mind and body. With modern lighting arrangements and stage props, the special effects are simply amazing and greatly enhance the interest in the performance.

It is true that some people are endowed with a good voice, but to be able to sing well requires great dedication and practice. It requires hours of practice over many years to be able to pay a musical instrument well. It is indeed a pleasure to hear a singer who sings with gay abandon and puts all his heart into a performance. A great musician gets lost in the world of sound and music which he creates with great joy and concentration. To appreciate music is to be able to enjoy one of the greatest experience in this world. You can also choose the music which suits your temperament, taste and mood. Listening to music can greatly boost productivity and provide therapeutic assistance.

To see the enactment of a story on stage or screen is the contribution of theatre and films. The world is a stage and every person has to perform his role. There are differences in performing on stage and in real life because in the former the conditions and environment are controlled. I have found that truly great actors are those who can get under the skin of their character and play the role from that persons perspective. Because a theatre is a live performance there is a greater bonding between the actors and the audience. To see a play is to experience at close quarter the action which took place at a distant time and place with unknown people.

An exhibition is a display of products and services of a particular industry or association in a planned and systematic manner and is an excellent means to update ones awareness of the latest trends in a given field. With the growth in the economy, exhibitions by different professional associations and companies are held with increased frequency. On a visit to an exhibition, the focus should be on understanding the trends and direction in which a given industry is moving, a study of the latest products and services on offer, enquiries on the features and advantages which a product offers and interaction with people in charge of the exhibit area. This is one place where you can get to know under one roof and with little expenditure of time and money about the developments and advances in a given field.

Trade and social fairs provide a platform where buyers and sellers interact, showcase their wares, offer discounts and bargains and provide entertainment. A fair is a great place for a family outing, where you can simply go through the stalls, examine the products on display at leisure and decide on the kind of purchase you want to make. Very often cultural and entertainment events are held along side. Large fairs in major cities have a sizeable international presence of companies and countries. It is a great place to familiarize yourself with the people and products which would otherwise not be available locally. Rural fairs have a completely different ambience of their own. Here you get to appreciate rural life, customs, people from different states.

College and school festivals are a forum for students to express their talents, skills and abilities. The sense of participation, competition and the camaraderie that you build with other students create a feeling of confidence and self assurance. It also helps build in the students qualities of initiative, organization, planning, and leadership. Religious festivals on the other hands reaffirm the values and codes of conduct that are essential for a healthy society. This is a time when you relive the celebration of an event in history or mythology. It is a time to remember the life and teachings of the great souls who descended on the earth to serve humanity.

Seminars bring together experts and knowledgeable people on a subject from different institutions and organizations. The discussions, reflection and the exchange of ideas and information, the presentation of papers are a great source for getting to know different views and opinions on a topic. Open house seminars allow you to interact and mix around with people engaged in an area of interest which appeals to you. Here you can ask questions and get responses from different people. The slide presentations and the talk shows that invariably accompany a seminar convey in a crisp and concise manner the findings of the speaker. The atmosphere in a seminar is more learning oriented. Open house seminars are held form time to time in various metros and genuinely interested person could always find his way into one without much difficulty.

Lectures and book readings are also events which offer a person to listen to the discourses of eminent people in their respective fields. Often these are people who may not be easily accessible and to hear them talk can be a good learning experience. All you need to do is scan through the daily newspaper in the engagement column and identify the area, which interests you. A lecture is often followed by a question and answer session. This is an excellent time where you can get answers to questions from an expert, which you could not have done so otherwise. Book readings allow you to listen to selected passages of authors, which are of particular relevance and interest. The discussion on the author and his writings give you an indication of whether his work would interest you.

Finally, I consider participation in sports a great way of learning about team spirit, self-control, sacrifice. In team sports particularly, it is more important to tap the strengths of individual players for the good of the team and to avoid being too individualistic which might adversely affect team morale. In the sporting arena too, you learn to play by the rules, honour the referees judgement

and for breaking the rules or playing rough, you get disqualified or are penalized. These are lessons learnt which help you in real life in the long run.

KG/LEARNING/ESSAY-4-CIRCUIT/SEPT 12, 1999